Promises Kept
by ToxiNeena
Summary: And in the years to follow, Lucy would come to perceive that Natsu never backed out on his promises. No matter the cost to himself, he always kept them. Every single one. Based off the ED of the FT reboot.


**So, pretty sure the entire NaLu fandom kinda just blew up after watch the new FT reboot either last night or today. Mashima must have hired NaLu shippers as his animators because HOT DAMN. It wasn't even subtle! So, in honor of the glorious new OP and ED of Fairy Tail's reboot this fantastic spring of 2014, I present to you...a drabble.**

**Based on the ED. If you haven't seen it already, go watch it. Like, NOW.**

**Kisses and hugs! Leave your thoughts!**

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**Promises Kept**

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_And in the years to follow, Lucy would come to perceive that Natsu never backed out on his promises. No matter the cost to himself, he always kept them. Every single one.  
_

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She'd been stood up.

Lucy knew it as well as anything; it was nothing new to her, actually. Her father had never been very good at keeping his promises. But even so, as she stared down at her cellphone, checking the clock for the fifth time that minute, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. She knew better than to get her hopes up, but whenever they made plans, she always dared.

And was always disappointed.

Lucy sighed, staring glumly at her candy-pink cellphone with its little kitty-cat charms that clacked together when she moved. It had been a gift from him for missing their last breakfast date—an important business meeting, he'd claimed, vowing to make it to the next one like he did every other time.

She rolled her eyes.

Right. What a load that was.

It was half-past noon… He'd promised to meet her at the café at ten for a late breakfast and he'd still yet to show, hadn't called to make excuses either; she'd been waiting on him for over two hours. Though she knew that it was perfectly acceptable to just assume that he wouldn't be coming, Lucy couldn't help but hope. A little voice in the back of her head kept whispering, _just give him five more minutes…just five_, and damn her, she kept listening to it.

Well, not anymore, Lucy sighed again. Two-and-a-half hours was plenty of time, she thought. Her father wasn't coming…that much was obvious.

Just like every other time, the realization was like a physical blow. It took her breath away, made her eyes burn, and made her throat tighten. She ached to cry even though she'd known it would happen like this. One would think that after years of this same old song and dance that she'd get used to the soul-crushing disappointment, but it was practically impossible. After all, what daughter didn't want attention from her father? Was brunch once a week too much to ask for?

Nowadays, the most she got was a hasty, "Hello, goodbye," and a half-hearted attempt to make another date.

"C'mon, Lucy," the heiress muttered to herself as she pushed up from her chair. She stuffed her cellphone into her purse and cleared her throat against the threat of tears. "Like you didn't think this would happen."

On her way out of the little café, Lucy paid at the counter for the single cup of tea that she hadn't finished in her two-and-a-half hours. The waitress fixed her with a sympathetic look while handing back the change, as if she knew and understood the blonde's plight. Though, Lucy knew that the waitress was assuming that she'd been stood up by a boyfriend or a lover of some kind…not her father. She didn't correct her. In some ways, Lucy preferred people to think that she was being stood up by her boyfriend, because it almost made _her_ feel like she was being stood up by her boyfriend who didn't exist.

Made it a little less painful.

But still painful enough that Lucy couldn't help but sigh her way down the street. Vendors stopped her every once in a while—seeing a depressed girl as an easy target to make some quick cash—and the boy at the flower cart actually gave her a daisy and smiled at her.

It warmed her heart a little, but not enough.

Despite that, however, Lucy found herself roaming around the city and eventually to the outskirts, to the rocky cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Her mother had loved the ocean, had loved this very spot. It was a spot where one could look out and see the horizon, hear the waves crash against the shore, and smell the sea salt in the air.

It was Lucy's spot now. The place she went when she needed to think…or to not think at all. Times like today where she wondered why she even bothered with her father in the first place. He'd changed so much after the death of her mother, it was like he was a stranger. A stranger who couldn't keep his promises even if he wanted to.

He was just far too busy, she thought bitterly.

As though on cue, her purse began to buzz against her hip, almost scaring her. A cheery tune blared from her buried cellphone, and even before rooting it out and looking at it, she knew who it was. She didn't even know why she answered it, but she did every time he called.

"Ah, Lucy, I'm afraid I forgot about our breakfast date this morning… I hope you didn't wait too long for me," her father's smooth voice greeted. No "hello, how are you?", just right down to business, like always. And he sounded far from apologetic.

But, of course, Lucy knew he wouldn't be—he never was. "No," she lied, "I didn't."

The rustling of papers met her ears, and Lucy knew that he was at his desk, sifting through piles of them. He never stopped working, not even for a phone call, not even for her. "Good, I'd hate to waste your time. Where are you now?" His tone held anything but interest.

"I'm doing some shopping; I need more spring clothes," she said, picking at the white hem of her short skirt with her freshly manicured nails.

She didn't know why she was lying to him—he wouldn't care if she told him the truth; he never cared about anything she did. Hell, he hadn't even noticed when she'd gone through her "phase" and chopped all her hair off, or when she'd pierced her ears, or when she'd started wearing super short skirts and tops that fit way too tightly. In fact, she highly doubted he'd notice if she dyed her hair bubble-gum pink and started wearing black lipstick.

"All right. I'll put more Jewels onto your card. I'll see you at home…and we should reschedule for next week. I won't forget this time," he promised, just like every other incident prior, and Lucy found it hard not to scoff at him.

"Yeah, we should…" Her voice was dry. She wanted to tell him to keep his money; she could get her own just fine. She wanted to tell him to not bother trying to reschedule, but she just couldn't…because the thought of it felt as though a dagger were being twisted in her heart. So she did what she did every other time this happened… She just went along with it. "Bye…"

Her father hung up without another word.

Jude Heartfilia was hardly a man of many words, and he hated to waste them by beating around the bush. He always treated his phone calls like business meetings, keeping them as brusque and as short as possible, even when talking to his own daughter. To say that it hurt her would be an understatement.

She was his daughter, not his business associate. Didn't that count for anything? Not to Jude, it seemed.

The burning sensation behind her eyes was back, and Lucy sniffled furiously, trying to hold herself together. She was pretty good at it—had all but perfected the art of bringing herself back from the brink of crying her eyes out in the many years after losing her mother. But, even so, she still had to wipe away a stray trickle that zipped down her cheek.

She hated crying, especially over him.

Turning her back to the horizon and the ocean breeze, she bid farewell to her safe place and started heading back into town.

If her father was giving her money to spend on clothes, then she'd damn well spend it. No sane girl would pass up the opportunity to buy a whole new wardrobe when given the chance… Though, to an heiress, it kind of lost its touch when she could do that on a regular basis. Still, clothes were clothes, and if there was one thing that could cheer her up, it was a combination of clothes and cute accessories.

Maybe she would even find some interesting new additions for her key collection. It was an odd hobby of hers, but it had been her mother's passion, something that Lucy had taken over after her death. And Lucy couldn't help but keep an eye out for keys wherever she went.

Those thoughts kept her pleasantly calm as she meandered down the shaded, paved road. Trees lined either side of the street, the branches thick with new spring leaves and flowers that created a calming canopy over her head, blocking the bright sun. Lucy even found a smile tugging at her mouth as the scent of daises assaulted her nose…

But in the next second, she was taken by surprise.

A boy darted past her, seemingly out of place in such a serene and calming setting. He was in far too much of a hurry, and if that wasn't contrast enough, Lucy nearly gaped at the mop of brilliant pink hair on the top of his crown. He appeared so out of place, being loud and boisterous without so much as saying a single word, and as he ran past her, he too seemed to stumble and skip a beat… And then he skidded to a stop.

Lucy didn't know she was staring at him until he looked right at her, an expression of bewilderment and then genuine friendliness crossing his face.

She'd made a mistake, the blonde quickly realized, when she'd initially thought of him as a boy. The person standing a few feet away from her was in no way a _boy_… And yet he wasn't quite a man, either. Almost in the same way that she wasn't a woman, but was hardly a girl. Somewhere in the middle, just barely beginning to be recognized as an adult in society.

And he took her breath away.

Even from a distance she could see the sparkle in his eyes, the dark green color entrancing and reminding her of clovers after a rainfall. She could see the excitement in them, the promise of adventure, the hope and the dreams. So very different from the eyes she had become accustomed to seeing at home.

Lucy had long since abandoned the idea of love at first sight…but as she stood there, blinking dumbly at this stranger who just grinned back at her, she didn't know what else to call it. It was like she felt this instant…connection between the two of them. Like her heart was saying, _hey, he's gonna be a big part of your future._

…As crazy as it was, she direly hoped that he felt whatever it was, too.

This…almost-man and his odd taste in clothes—scarves were hardly spring attire, but he had one wrapped around his neck, looking for all the world as if it belonged there, which was strange. At least the scarf matched his outfit, she thought, as her eyes took in his pale long-sleeved shirt, grey gilet, khakis, and sandals.

Realizing that she was scrutinizing him, Lucy jerked her eyes away from his clothes, and focused on his face instead. He was still smiling at her, appearing amused by her actions, and he held up an arm. She hadn't expected him to say anything to her—because, hello, they were complete strangers—but he shocked her by asking, "Oi, this yours?" and all Lucy could do was reel back and then gape at him.

She blinked once, twice, against the shock that he was actually speaking to her, and then looked at what he was holding in his hand. Between his fingers, he held three kitty-cat charms, and he shook them to make them clack together… They looked so familiar…just like the ones that she had on her…

Lucy gasped. Looking down at the hand that clutched her cellphone, she inspected the top…only to see that her favorite charms had somehow fallen off.

"Yes…" she said slowly, lifting her gaze back up to meet the stranger's. "Where did you…?"

"They were lying here on the road," he answered and scuffed his shoe against the paved gravel for emphasis. Then, he advanced towards her slowly, holding out her charms. "Here you go."

Now that he was closer, Lucy could see him even more clearly. Tanned skin, as though he spent a lot of time in the sun, the well-worn look of his clothes suggesting that he was an average person in society, and the crooked grin that seemed to seize her heart and squeeze it. It, her heart, was pounding furiously against her ribcage, and her breathing quickened, and her palms began to sweat.

It startled her, really.

Lucy never lost her bearings around people; that was one thing that she was good at. But this stranger, whose name she didn't even know, had her as antsy as a sinner in church.

…She liked it. Or, rather, she liked him.

She liked him and he'd barely said two things to her.

Coughing at the realization that she'd been standing there, gawking at him instead of taking back her cellphone charms, Lucy quickly took them from his hand—which was warm and gruff, suggesting he worked hard—and feebly tried to attach them back to her phone. "I, um…" she mumbled, fingers twitching as she tied the knot fiercely. "Thank you…"

He only shrugged. "S'no biggie…" Then one of his pink brows raised, and good heavens she realized that his pink hair was _au naturale_, as he peered at the charms. "You like cats?"

Blinking again, Lucy's eyes darted to her cellphone charms before she chuckled. "Well, I mean, just as much as any other person likes animals."

Truth was, she was more of a dog person, but cats were okay. She didn't mind them, and she kind of liked the ones that hung out at the library. Sometimes, they cuddled up in her lap when she was reading a book.

The stranger hummed, grinning again. "I have a cat, you know. He kinda looks like the one on your phone right there," he said, reaching out to tap a calloused finger against her charms and singling out the ridiculous-looking blue cat.

Lucy couldn't help the giggle-like snort that escaped her. "You have a blue cat?" she asked incredulously, half teasing.

Imagine her surprise when he proudly announced, "Sure do! His name's Happy; he's more like family than a cat, though. Vet said it's some sort of genetic defect or something, but, yeah, his fur is blue."

Well, she'd be damned. An actual blue cat. The smile that spread across Lucy's face was completely genuine. It startled her enough that it almost slipped off her face.

How long had it been since she'd smiled so easily like that? Years, maybe… Nowadays, her every smile and grin was forced, even when talking with friends—and she didn't have very many of those. And yet, this random person had her smiling and giggling and feeling…normal again. For the first time since she'd lost her mother all those years ago.

Noticing that she'd paused, Lucy smiled brighter. "You must like him a lot."

"I do," he answered and lifted a shoulder. "Anyway, I was just heading off to go fishing. Nice meeting you." The guy with the pink hair, excitable eyes, and heart-warming smile waved at her and turned on his heel.

And Lucy realized that she still didn't know his name.

The words burst from her before she could stop them. "Wait! Wait a second!"

He paused at her exclamation, looking over his shoulder curiously.

Lucy licked her lips, silently cursing her stupid, impulsive self. "I… I don't even know your name," she said. "What is it?"

He blinked, as if surprised, and then turned fully around to face her again with another brilliant smile. "The name's Natsu Dragneel."

_Natsu… Natsu Dragneel. _Lucy turned the name over in her mind, finding it very pleasing to both listen to and say. It suited him nicely, in her opinion. Bold and warm, leaving behind an impression that would last.

"Well, Natsu," and she swore her heart kicked at the sound of his name on her tongue, "thank you for giving these back to me." The heiress shook her cellphone lightly, softly smiling as the charms clicked together.

He, Natsu, just grinned again, showing off a perfect set of dimples. "Like I said, no big deal. But, you're welcome…" He trailed off, lifting a single brow expectantly and holding out a single hand with his palm turned up, and Lucy realized that he was silently asking her for her name.

Her heart warmed as did her cheeks. "Lucy," she said. "Lucy Heartfilia."

"You're welcome, Lucy."

And the sound of him saying her name was enough to make her knees go weak. No other man had been able to do that to her. Just like no other man, or person in general, had been able to make her genuinely smile and laugh in such a long time… He'd been able to do it in just five minutes, and she didn't even know him. She missed being so cheerful like that, and now that she'd had a taste of it again, she didn't want to let go.

Maybe this was fate, she told herself. If it was fate, then she wasn't about to let it run off—not yet.

"Natsu, wait," Lucy called as he turned around once again. When he fixed her with another curious stare, she bit her lip, debating on whether or not she should ask. Sucking in a breath, she blurted, "Would you like to have lunch with me? I mean, not like as a date or anything," she hastily clarified, feeling like a dork, "but, like, as a thank you? These charms mean a lot to me, and if I had lost them…"

If she had lost them, she probably wouldn't have thought twice about it. But at this point, she would use any excuse just to keep talking to him. There was just something about him that was so…alluring. Something about him that just made her feel good.

Maybe it was that whole love at first sight thing. She didn't really know.

"You wanna…take me out to lunch?" Natsu asked slowly, suggesting that he was puzzled.

Grabbing her purse, Lucy said hurriedly, "It'll be my treat. As a thank you."

Screw the shopping, she had plenty of clothes.

At that, Natsu's face split into a wide grin that was impossible to keep from returning. Knowing him for less than ten minutes, it was painfully obvious that he could just light up a room with a single, infectious smile. "Well, I can't turn down free food, now can I?" he laughed and went to stand by her side. "Any place you got in mind?"

With a smile that made her heart and soul feel light again, Lucy led Natsu back to the café that she'd been at earlier that day. The waitress who had fixed her with a look of pity before seemed surprised, but also smiled warmly as though happy that Lucy had found her breakfast companion; she even gave them two drinks on the house and winked at Lucy, leaning down.

"Glad your boyfriend made it, sweetheart," she whispered into the heiress's ear, causing her to blush to the roots of her hair.

But Lucy didn't deny it. She let the waitress have her way, just like before. All the while, she and Natsu sat and talked, and talked, and talked. He had so much to say, and was a wonderful story-teller. Filling her head with tales of these far-off places, daring rescues, and humorous mishaps that he and his friends had gotten themselves into over the years. Like she'd thought, he was full of adventure, something she direly yearned for.

And he kept mentioning this Fairy Tail. At first, she thought he meant _fairy tales_, as in the fables her mother had once read to her at night as bedtime stories. But as the hours ticked by, she came to the understanding that Fairy Tail, was a _place_. A place of wonder, and excitement, and adventure, and _love_.

"So this…Fairy Tail," she said slowly, stirring her fizzy juice drink with the colorful umbrella, "it's an…odd job place?"

She didn't register how negatively she made it sound until she actually said it, and she wanted to take the words back immediately. She hadn't meant to be insulting in any way; she was only curious. But thankfully, Natsu didn't seem to take offense to her careless wording.

He just shrugged and took another sip of his soda. "Kinda, I guess. It's a place where people who don't have anywhere to go can stay and be welcomed. Yeah, we do jobs on the side," he said with a nod, "but it's so we can stay together. Fairy Tail is a big family."

_A big family,_ he said…

Lucy's heart lurched at that. It was the one thing that she'd wanted more than anything else—more than she wanted adventure. _Family_. Not necessarily by blood, but people who would comfort her when she cried, people who would smile with her, people who would care about her. A real family, the kind that she used to have.

She wanted that so badly.

The look in her eyes must have been a dead giveaway—her mother had always said that her eyes were an open book to her feelings—because he suddenly gave her this sympathetic, understanding expression. Appearing to debate for a moment, Natsu dug into the pocket of his khakis for something and then held out a fist to her.

"I don't know what you got going on in your life," he began, eyeing her, "but it you need a place to go, a place to be, somewhere to feel like you belong, you can always come to Fairy Tail." And then he opened his hand, dangling a key chain in front of her face.

It was a strange symbol, and at first, she couldn't make out what it was. But after blinking at it, she realized that it was a sort of fairy. Silver or stainless steel, she couldn't tell, but it gleamed in the midday light, twinkling like a star.

Lucy's eyes softened, and when he took her hand in his own, placing the key chain in her palm, she felt a wobbly smile on her lips. "That's…" She cleared her throat—her eyes were burning again, but this time, she didn't mind. "Tell me what it's like," she said, running her finger across the smooth, metallic symbol.

It was beautiful, probably the best gift she'd received thus far in her fairly short life.

Natsu smiled. "It's a place where you can find a family, and adventure, and it's a place where you can look forward to the future. It's my home." Pausing, he regarded her with a more serious, but still understanding look. "I promise you, Fairy Tail will never be boring."

"…Promise?" she whispered. Lucy looked down at the gift in her palm, nibbling her bottom lip.

Did she dare accept another promise? Her own father broke his promises on a daily-basis… Would someone she just met be able to keep his? And more importantly, would she trust him to? After having her trust and faith in people broken so many times after so many years, could she find it in herself to trust someone just one more time?

Natsu, as if sensing her doubts, grinned crookedly at her. "I promise that it's everything I say it is…and more."

And, as Lucy closed her eyes, clutching the key chain to her chest, she dared to trust him. Someone she just met, but someone she had undoubtedly forged a connection to. Her heart was hardly ever wrong. And in the years to follow, Lucy would come to perceive that Natsu never backed out on his promises. No matter the cost to himself, he always kept them.

Every single one.


End file.
